Nine months on from the whirlwind of publicity, political arguments and media attention, the family of former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty say they are only now finding peace and closure.

The terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 last year has been followed by months of political analysis and media attention.

Caught in the eye of the storm were the families of the four men who died.

One of them was Doherty, of Encinitas, who was helping to defend the consulate.

Speaking to U-T San Diego last week, Doherty’s sister, Kate Quigley, said the family has struggled with his death but friends and organizations — such as the Red Circle Foundation, founded by another former Navy SEAL — have helped to lighten the burden.

“I feel like, only now, we are just starting the real healing process,” said the 40-year-old married mother of three who lives in Boston.

“Because of the publicity surrounding the incident and his death, and the politics and the public nature of everything, it’s been difficult to separate ourselves from it all.

“I feel like, as a family, we were in survival mode for six months. I can now have a conversation about it all and I can focus on honoring his legacy.

“It was understandably a huge loss for our family; he was beyond special in so many ways.”

Doherty and Tyrone Woods, of Imperial Beach, were both former Navy SEALs working as private security and intelligence contractors when the main U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi came under attack.

They died during a mortar attack while defending their fellow Americans.

The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and information officer Sean Smith, a San Diego native, also died during the terrorist incident.

In honoring Doherty’s wish that — in the event of his death — his life should be “celebrated” and not mourned, a series of memorial events were held in his home city of San Diego, as well as in Boston, where the family lived.

The cost of celebrating his life in such a way came at a cost — $40,000 to $50,000. That’s where the Red Circle Foundation stepped in to help.

The foundation — which aims to provide financial support to wounded special operations forces servicemen, as well as financial support to the children and families of the fallen — had just been set up when Doherty died.

For its founder, Brandon Webb, Doherty’s death — and the charity — were very close to his heart.

Webb, also a former Navy SEAL, was Doherty’s best friend. So helping his family deal with the burden of grief was first and foremost in his mind.